OUR HONOLULU
Farewell to cultural remnants

By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

Two tragedies have occurred during the past few days that deserve your attention: One deals with a historic house on Pi'ikoi Street, the other with the last sampan.

Retired state statistician Bob Schmitt called to tell me that his favorite house is almost demolished. It was the old John Reinecke residence. The new owner is tearing it down to build a four-unit, two-story apartment. Both the Reineckes and the house represent a chunk of our history.

John Reinecke, an erudite schoolteacher, was a victim of the Joe McCarthy era in Hawai'i when Reinecke, labor leader Jack Hall and others were indicted as Communists accused of conspiring to overthrow the U.S. government. Reinecke's reputation was ruined.

The charming house, according to Historic Hawai'i Foundation director David Scott, was a classic example of the first uniquely American house — the bungalow — and what happened to it in Hawai'i.

"We tried to save it, to talk the new owner into jacking up the house and putting his apartments underneath," said Scott. "He was willing to donate the house if we could move it. But the power lines on the street made it impossible.

"People say, 'Oh, there are plenty of bungalows all over town.' But if we keep tearing down our history, we won't know who we are."

The other tragedy — the 50-foot sampan Venus — represents one of the most colorful and important chapters in Hawai'i's seagoing history.

Two boats are unique to Hawai'i: the Hawaiian canoe and the Hawaiian sampan, both adapted to Island waters. The Hawaiian sampan's classic profile comprises a high sharp bow, narrow racy hull and towering house amidships.

Master Japanese shipwrights built hundreds of sampans at Kewalo Basin. Intrepid Japanese fishermen made incredible voyages in those vessels to supply fish for Our Honolulu.

One by one the sampans piled up on the reef, burned to the waterline, sunk in storms. The board of the Hawaii Maritime Center, of which I was a member, tried for years to save a sampan. You can now count them on the fingers of one hand. Not only the boat itself but the method of fishing is unique.

Last year at this time, the owner of the Venus donated the vessel to the center. Board members pledged $15,000 out of their pockets to restore the sampan and more to maintain it. The idea was to inject new life into the Maritime Center by putting this symbol of our history right out on the lawn.

Our committee went to the board of the Bishop Museum, owners of the center, with this proposal. It was rejected. No answer as to why. One Bishop Museum representative commented, "It would look unsightly on the lawn."

Then our board got fired for being in debt — which is true and what we were trying to address if they would have let us.

We're probably no great loss to the center. But the sampan is. I'm afraid it's too late now to save this part of our identity.